Holding means and carrying means for ski equipment



P 3, 1968 R. G. WOOLWORTH 3,399,750

HOLDING MEANS AND CARRYING MEANS FOR SKI EQUIPMENT Original Filed Sept 27. 1965 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1968 G. WOOLWORTH 3,

HOLDING MEANS AND CARRYING MEANS FOR SKI EQUIPME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Sept. 27, 1965 United States Patent 3,399,750 HOLDING MEANS AND CARRYING MEAN FOR SKI EQUIPMENT 1 Woolworth, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Old Pal, Inc., Lititz, Pa. Continuation of application Ser. No. 490,282, Sept. 27, 1965. This application Feb. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 618,232 30 Claims. (Cl. 190-41) Richard G.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to holding means and carrying means for ski equipment and more specifically to holding means and carrying means especially adapted for the holding and carrying of ski boots and/0r ski poles.

It is an object of this invention to provide a boot holder which may be mounted in a carrying case.

It is another object of this invention to provide a carrying case in which said boot holder may be mounted.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a boot holder having means by which it may be carried and thus adapted for the carrying of boots without the use of a case. It is also an object of this invention to provide such a boot holder but which is adapted to be carried independently or in a case. It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination comprising a boot holder and a case for carrying boots, wherein said case includes mounting means for removably mounting the boot holder.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a ski pole holder adapted to be mounted on a support surface.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination of said ski pole holder withany of said cases referred to above with said ski pole holder being mounted on the exterior surface of a wall of the case, the exterior surface thus constituting the support surface for the ski pole holder.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description and claims.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a boot holder comprising a boot support member and clamping means, said boot support member having a boot support surface, said clamping means being mounted adjacent opposed ends of said boot suppport member and including a clamping member, said clamping member having a boot engaging portion, and means to move the boot engaging portion of said clamping member toward said 'boot support surface so that a boot part may be clamped between said boot engaging portion of said clamping member and said boot support surface. Furthermore, it may be provided that one of said clamps comprises a clamping member, said clamping member is pivotally mounted on an axis parallel to and transverse of said boot support member, a cam having a camming surface, said clamping member on one side of said axis having a boot engaging portion and on the other side of said axis having a portion for engagement with said camming surface, a lever mounting said cam, said lever being pivotally mounted for rotation "ice with said cam about an axis extending through said cam, said axis being juxtaposed to said cam engaging edge of said clamping member, whereby upon rotation of said lever about said axis said cam rotates about said axis and said camming surface engages said cam eng g portion of said clamping member and said clamping member is rotationally moved about its axis with said clamping portion of said clamping member being rotationally moved toward said boot support member, whereby boots of various dimensions at the part of the boot to be clamped between said clamping edge of said clamping member and said boot support member may be thus interchangeably clamped. It may be provided that said boot support member has two boot support surfaces and clamping means to cooperate with each of said surfaces so that two boots may be held by said holder, one against each of said boot support surfaces. It may further be provided that said boot support member has a pair of opposed fiat faces, each of said faces defining a boot support surface.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a case for carrying boots, said case comprising a hollow body having an open side, a cover mounted on said open side to close the same, said cover being mounted to be removable from said open side to permit access to the interior of said hollow body, and mounting means inside the case for removably mounting a boot holder. Furthermore, it may be provided that said hollow body defines a first interior wall and said mounting means includes a pair of opposed bracket members mounted on said first interior wall of said hollow body. It may further be provided that said hollow body further defines a second and a third interior wall, said second interior wall being contiguous with and transverse to said first interior wall. and said third interior wall being contiguous with and transverse to said second interior wall and opposed to said first interior wall, and said mounting means further includes a pin mounted on said second interior wall at a point adjacent said third interior wall and opposed to said bracket members. It may also be provided that said mounting means further includes tracks mounted on said third interior wall, said tracks being positioned to guide the boot holder so that a hole provided in the boot holder is guided onto said pin as said boot holder is mounted in the case.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a ski pole holder adapted to be mounted on a support surface, said ski pole holder comprising first means defining a first surface oriented to extend away from said support surface and second means defining a second surface oriented to extend away from said sup port surface, said second means including means to move said second surface to a position wherein the plane of said second surface is juxtaposed parallel to the plane of said first surface, and When said second surface is in said position, the planes of said first and second surfaces defining a space therebetween approximating the diameter of a ski pole to be held by said ski pole holder and the distance between the extremities of said first and second surfaces not exceeding the length of said ski pole, whereby when said second surface is moved into said position said first and second surfaces abut said ski pole and said ski pole is thereby held by said ski pole holder. Furthermore it may be provided that said first surface comprises a plurality of coplanar surfaces. It may further be provided that said second surface defining means is positioned between two of said coplanar surfaces defined by said first surface defining means. It may also be provided that said second surface defining means is an oblong member rotatably mounted on said surface of said case, said oblong member has a major transverse dimension and a minor transverse dimension,

said second surface is defined by a side of said oblong member parallel to the major dimension, said oblong member being rotatable to move said second surface into a plane parallel to the plane of said first surface.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided, in combination, a boot holder and a case for carrying boots on said boot holder, said case comprising a hollow body having an open side and a cover mounted on said open side to close the same, said cover being mounted to be removable from said open side to permit access to the interior of said hollow body, the interior of said case including mounting means for removably mounting said boot holder, said boot holder being removably mounted on said mounting means in said hollow body, said boot holder including means to removably mount the boots thereon, whereby boots may be removably mounted on said boot holder and said boot holder with boots mounted thereon may be carried in said case. Furthermore, said boot holder includes handle means by means of which handle means said boot holder may alternatively be carried outside and separately from said case rather than Within said case. Also, said hollow body may include divider means Which define a compartment sized for the boot holder when carrying the boots and compartments for other objects to be carried in said case.

In accordance with still a further aspect of this invention the above referred to ski pole holder may be mounted on a wall of the above referred to case for carrying boots, a surface of said wall thus serving as the support surface for said ski pole holder.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a case according to the present invention in combination with a ski pole holder of the present invention, said ski pole holder being shown carrying a pair of ski poles;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the case of FIG. 1 with the ski poles but not the ski pole holder omitted for convenience of illustration and showing a boot holder carrying boots mounted in the case;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the case, ski pole holder and ski poles shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the top of the case of FIG. 1 carrying a boot holder according to the present invention, the detail being partly in section along plane IVIV shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partly sectional detail view similar to FIG 4 except of the bottom of the case and taken along plane VV as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a detail view partly in section of part of the ski pole holder taken through plane VI-VI as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the boot holder itself carrying boots and equipped with a thong for carrying or hanging;

FIG. 7a is an alternative embodiment of the top portion of the boot holder as shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a view of the boot holder of FIG. 7 carrying boots, the view being partly in section taken along plane VIIIVIII as shown in FIG. 7.

The invention will now be further described by means of a detailed description of the drawings.

In FIG. 1, case 10 essentially comprises cover 11 fitted on hollow body 12 (hollow body 12 being shown in FIG. 2). Case 10 is provided with case handle 22 for carrying the case, the case handle being mounted on a wall of body 12. Cover 11 may be locked to body 12 by means of locks 14. Air vents 15 and air vents 16 are provided in both the cover and the body of case 10 at the top and at the bottom respectively of the case. Feet 17 are provided in juxtaposition to the four corners of the bottom of case 10 in order that case 10 may rest thereon out of contact with the ground or other support surface. A ski pole holder is mounted on cover 11 of case 10. The ski pole holder consists essentially of braces 18 and ski pole lock 20. Mounted on cover 11 of case 10 by means of the ski pole holder are ski poles 19. Ski pole lock is an oblong 8- sided member rotatably mounted on cover 11. Ski pole lock 20 is shown in locking position by the solid lines in FIG. 1 and in non-locking position by the broken lines in FIG. 1. The arrow superimposed on the drawing of ski pole lock 20 in FIG. 1 simply indicates the act of rotating ski pole lock 20; the clockwise direction indicated is in no way critical and rotation in the counter-clockwise direction may just as readily and effectively be performed. Ski pole lock 20, being oblong, has a major transverse dimension and a minor transverse dimension. As shown in FIG. 1 ski pole lock 20 is in non-locking position when its major dimension is essentially non-transverse to (preferably parallel to) the longitudinal axis of ski poles 19 and is in locking position when its major axis is essentially transverse to (preferably perpendicular to) the longitudinal axis of ski poles 19. This change in the orientation of the major dimension of ski pole lock 20 with respect to the longitudinal axis of ski poles 19 is achieved simply by rotating ski pole lock 20 from the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1 to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1. Braces 18 provide surfaces opposed to the locking surfaces of the ski pol lock 20. The locking surfaces of ski pole lock 20 are simply the surfaces of the sides of ski pole lock 20 which abut against ski poles 19 when ski pole lock 20 is in locking position. Braces 18 are provided with inwardly inclined extremities (most clearly shown in FIG. 6) which provide not only said opposed surfaces but also provide means for preventing movement of ski poles 19 away from the surface of cover 11, said means simply comprising that portion of the inwardly inclined extremities of braces 18 which overlaps ski poles 19 opposite the surface of cover 11.

In FIG. 2, boot press or boot holder 23 is shown mounted in body 12 of case 10. Ski boots 24 are held by boot holder 23. Dividers 25 separate the space in body 12 into a compartment for the boot holder and boots and small compartments 26 for any other objects desired to be carried in the case, such as goggles, gloves, ski wax, other ski accessories, and the like. Cover 11 is pivotally mounted on body 12 by means of hinges 13. On the inner surface of cover 11 are provided fastening means 18 for braces 18 and fastening means 20' for ski pole lock 20.

FIG. 3 simply shows what has been described above in a different perspective. Thus the relationship of cover 11, body 12, braces 18 and ski pole lock 20 with ski poles 19 held thereon is again shown.

FIG. 4 shows the toe end of boot holder 23 mounted in the case. Pins 27 and 28 are provided on the interior of the cover and the interior of the body respectively and fit into holes provided in boot holder 23. Thus when this end of boot holder 23 is mounted in the case a first hole in it is fitted onto pin 28 and then the cover is closed and pin 27 slips into a second hole in boot holder 23 provided opposite and in alignment with the hole for pin 28.

In FIG. 5 there is shown the heel end of the boot holder mounted in the case. The heel end of boot holder 23 fits firmly into a space defined between brackets 29 and a wall of body 12. Provided in cover 11 is abutment member 30 which when cover 11 is closed abuts against the heel end of boot holder 23 holding boot holder 23 in place in the space defined between brackets 29 and said wall of body 12.

In FIG. 6 ski pole lock 20 is shown in more detail. It is also shown that braces 18 are provided with the inwardly inclined holding members 31, each of which may include a reinforcing rib 31', which holding members abut against ski poles 19 (as shown, the reinforcing rib portion 31 is abutting against ski poles 19). Ski pole lock 20 is rotatably mounted on Wall 11' of cover 11 by means of stud 32, stud 32 having mounted thereon (or integral therewith if for example molded in one piece in plastic) key member 33. Key slot 34 is provided in cover 11, key slot 34 being the same shape as but slightly larger than key member 33.

Thus, if it is not desired to carry ski poles on the case or for convenience in packing the ski case for shipping, ski pole lock may be demounted from wall 11' and, if desired, be stored, for example inside case 10. The demounting is accomplished by rotating ski pole lock 20 until key member 33 is aligned with key slot 34 and thenwithdrawing key member 33 from key slot 34 which can be donesince key member 33 is smaller than key slot 34. Mounting is accomplished by aligning'key member 33 with key slot 34, inserting key member 33 in key slot 34 and rotating key member 33 out of alignment with key slot 34. Wall 11' is provided with protrusions 35, which, conveniently, may be hemispheroidal. Protrusions 35 are located in the path of rotation of key member 35 and are spaced so that key member 35 fits between contiguous pairs of protrusions 35. Thus, key member 35, when rotated, engages protrusions 35 and snaps in place between a pair of protrusions 35 and is thereby held in locking position or is snapped in place between another pair of protrusions 35 arid is thereby held in non-locking position. The snapping action occurs because key member 33 and/or protrusions 35 are made structurally light enough and/or of an appropriate resilient material, for example, a plastic, to be: resilient. Braces 18 are demountably mounted on wall-11 in the same fashion as ski pole lock 20.

In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, which will be referred to together because they show the same elements in different perspectives, boot holder 23 is shown equipped with leather thong 37 for carrying the boot holder or for hanging the boot holder, for example for the drying of wet boots mounted thereon. Leather thong 37 is fixed to the toe end of boot support member 38 and integral with the other end (i.e., the heel end) of boot support member 38 are heel clamp support members 39. Heel clamp support members 39 are provided with guide slots 42. Heel clamps 40 are guided by means of guide slots 42 and a screw 41' (shown in FIG. 8) which passes through slots 42 and, in combination with nuts 41, mounts heel clamps 40 on heel clamp support members 39. Accordingly heel clamps 40 may be slidably adjusted to any position along slots 42 to accommodate boots having various heel thickness and then fixed at the desired position by means of tightening the screws andnuts.

Additionally, heel clamps40 are provided with ridges which follow guide tracks 43 and thus clamps 40 are guided in properly squared off position. Toe clamp 44 is mounted by. means of screws 55 and nuts 55' toward the end of boot support member 38 opposite the heel clamp end. Screws '55 pass through holes in toe clamp supports 47. Toe clamp supports 47 are provided with arms 52 integral therewith. Clamping members 50 are provided with arms 51 integral therewith. Clamping members 50 through arms 51 are pivotally mounted on toe clamp supports 47 through arms 52, by means of pivot pins 53. Also pivotally mounted on toe .clamp supports 47, by means of pivot pins 46, are cams 48. Integral with cam 48 is calm lever 45. Cam 48 is provided with camming surface 49 in juxtaposition to the front edge of clamping member 50. In FIG. 8, the left hand toe clamp is shown in locking position whereas the right hand toe clamp is shown in open position. It is seen that clamping member 50 is locked upon the projecting toe portion of the sole of the boot by slipping said boot portion under clamping member 50 and locking clamping member 50 upon said part of the boot by rotating cam lever in the clockwise direction. As cam lever 45 .is rotated camming surface 49 comes into engagement with the front end of clamping member 50, causing clamping member to rotate about pivot pins 53 and thereby rotationally be urged downward at its opposite end toward and against said part of the boot, looking said part of the boot between said opposite end and boot support member 38. Spring 59, which has a free end which pushes upward against the underside of clamping member 50 and a fixed end which is fastened to the underside of tow clamp support 47, urges clamping member 50 upwards as cam lever 45 is moved toward the non-locking position. Thus, spring 59 causes clamping member 50 to move in response to camming surface 59 as cam lever 45 is rotated in either direction. Clamping members 50 may be provided with tip guards 60 which tightly fit over the front tip portions of clamping members 50. Clamping members 50 will frequently be made of a metal and tip guards 60 may be made of a softer material such as hard rubber or a plastic. Because of the lesser hardness of the tip guard and its blunter edge than the edge of the clamping member, the tip guard will be less likely to damage a boot.

FIG. 7A shows an alternative embodiment of the boot holder especially adapted for comfortable carrying of the boot holder without the case. Rather than leather thong 37 there is provided handle 56 pivotally mounted by means of pivot pins 57. Also provided, fixed at the end of boot support member 38 adjacent said handle, is molding 58 mounted on which are plates having inscribed thereon the initials of the owner of the boot holder.

While the specific embodiments described above refer to boots and to skiing equipment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that similar articles such as shoes may alternatively be carried and held by the cases and holders of the present invention. It is not intended that the specific embodiments described herein be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but that all obvious alternatives and equivalents be considered to be within the scope of the invention and that the scope of the invention be determined only by reference to the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A carrying container and a holder means for transporting ski boots comprising a casing means including a body portion and a cover portion;

said body portion including a main wall portion and edge wall portions disposed substantially perpendioularly to said main wall portion to form a chamber means;

means connecting said cover portion with at least one of said edge wall portions to permit said cover portion to be moved relatively to said main wall portion to open and close said chamber means;

boot holder means including a'boot support member having opposed sides against which the bottoms of said ski boots abut;

mounting means in said body portion to removably mount said boot support member in an upright position within said chamber means with said opposed sides being substantially perpendicular to said main wall portion so that a pair of ski boots can be placed in said chamber means with one disposed on each side of said boot support member;

clamping means coupled with said boot support memher, said clamping means being pivotally mounted intermediate its ends about an axis lying in a plane spaced from and parallel to the plane of said support member and including a boot engaging means movable toward and away from the sides of said boot support member for effecting clamping of ski boots thereagainst and further including operating lever means for moving said boot engaging means;

said clamping means further including operating mechanism reacting between said operating lever means and said boot engaging means so that movement of said operating lever means toward and away from said main wall portion effects a corresponding responsive movement of said boot engaging means toward and away from said sides of said boot support member;

said operating lever means being digitally movable to a first position substantially within said chamber means so that said cover portion can be moved to a position which closes said chamber means;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said first position, reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means toward the sides of said boot support member to effect clamping of ski boots thereagainst;

said operating lever means also being digitally movable to a second position outwardly from said main wall portion after said cover portion has been swung to an open position;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said second position reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means away from the sides of said boot support member to effect unclamping of said ski boots so that such ski boots can be readily removed from said chamber means without the need for removing said boot support member from said mounting means.

2. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said operating lever means and said boot engaging means move in directions which are substantially perpendicular to each other.

3. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 2 wherein said operating lever means moves in a plane substantially parallel to said sides of said boot support member and wherein said boot engaging means moves in a plane substantially perpendicular to said sides of said boot support member.

4. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said cover portion is a hinge means including a hinge axis and wherein said operating mechanism includes pivotal mounting means connecting said operating lever means to said boot support member, said pivotal mounting means including a pivot axis.

5. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 4 wherein said hinge axis and said pivot axis are substantially parallel with each other.

6. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said operating mechanism includes a cam means carried by said operating lever means and having a camming surface engageable with said boot engaging means to effect movement of said boot engaging means responsively to movement of said operating lever means.

7. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said operating lever means includes an operating lever member disposed on each side of said boot support member and wherein said boot engaging means includes a clamp member disposed on each side of said boot support means and wherein said operating mechanism includes a pivotal mounting means for each of said lever members and a pivotal mounting means for each of said clamp members.

8. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 7 wherein said lever member pivotal mounting means forms a common pivot axis for each of said lever members with said common pivot axis being substantially perpendicular to the sides of said boot support member.

9. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 8 wherein the pivotal mounting means for each clamp member is juxtaposed to a side of said boot support member in substantially parallel relation thereto.

10. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes a bracket means disposed adjacent said edge wall portions to form a channel into which at least a portion of said boot support member fits, said channel serving to maintain said boot support member in its upright position.

11. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 10 further including an abutment means carried by said cover portion and positioned in substantial alignment with said bracket means to contact said boot support member When said cover means is closed.

12. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 11 wherein said mounting means further includes a pin means projecting from said main wall portion into said channel and wherein said boot support member includes a bore means therein into which said pin means fits.

'13. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 12 wherein said abutment means includes a further pin means which also fits into said bore means.

14. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 further including internal divider wall means within said chamber means, said internal divider wall means projecting from said main wall portion and extending between spaced apart edge wall portions to form an auxiliary compartment.

15. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 1 wherein said main wall portion and said cover portion, when closed, formed opposed side walls for said casing means and wherein one of said side walls releasably supports a ski pole holding means mounted exteriorly of said casing means.

16. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 15 wherein said ski pole holding means includes a brace means against which ski poles can abut and a rotatable locking member movable relatively to said brace means to selectively permit said ski poles to be clamped against said brace means or released therefrom.

17. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 16 further including releasable mounting means connecting said brace means and said locking member with said one of said side walls.

18. In combination, a boot holder, a case for carrying boots on said boot holder, and a ski pole holder mounted on said case, said case comprising a hollow body having an open side and a cover mounted on said open side to close the same, said cover being mounted to be removable from said open side to permit access to the interior of said 'hollow body, the interior of said case including mounting means for removably mounting said boot holder, said boot holder being removably mounted on said mounting means in said hollow body, said boot holder including means to removably mount the boots thereon, said ski pole holder including means to removably mount ski poles, whereby boots may be removably mounted on said boot holder and said boot holder with boots mounted thereon may be carried in said case and said ski poles may be removably mounted on said ski pole holder and said ski pole holder with ski poles mounted thereon may be carried on the outside of said case, said boot holder including a boot support member and clamping means juxtaposed to said boot support member for clamping the boots to said boot support member, said clamping means including a clamp juxtaposed to one end of said boot support member for clamping a boot at its toe and a clamp juxtaposed to the opposite end of said boot support member :for clamping said boot at its heel, one of said clamps being mounted for movement toward and away from the other of said clamps whereby boots of various lengths may be clamped to said boot sup port member, one of said clamps comprising a clamping member, said clamping member being pivotally mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the plane of and transverse of the length of said boot support member, a cam having a camming surfia'ce, said clamping member on one side of said axis having a boot engaging portion and on the other side of said axis having a portion for engagement with said camrning surface, a lever mounting said cam, said lever being pivotally mounted for rotation with said cam about an axis extending through said cam, said axis being juxtaposed to said cam engaging edge of said clamping member, whereby upon rotation of said lever about said axis said cam rotates about said axis and said camming surface engages said cam engaging portion of said clamping member and said clamping member is rotationally moved about its axis with said clamping portion of said clamping member being rotationally moved toward said boot support member, whereby boots of various dimensions at the part of the boot to be clamped between said c'lamping edge of said clamping member and said boot support member may be thus interchangeably clamped.

19. In combination, a boot holder, a case for carrying boots on said boot holder, and a ski pole holder mounted on said case, said case comprising a hollow body having an open side and a cover mounted on said open side to close the same, said cover being mounted to be removable from said open side to permit access to the interior of said hollow body, the interior of said case including mounting means for removably mounting said boot holder, said boot holder being removably mounted on said mounting means in said hollow body, said boot holder including means to removably mount the boots thereon, saidski pole holder including means to removably mount ski poles, whereby boots may be removably mounted on said boot holder and said boot holder with boots mounted thereon may be carried in saidcase and said ski poles may be removably mounted on said ski pole holder and said ski pole holder with ski poles mounted thereon may be carried on the outside of said case, said ski pole holder including first means defining a surface extending away from a surface of said case and second means defining a second surface extending away from said case surface, said second means including means to move said second surface to a position wherein the plane of said second surface is juxtaposed parallel to the plane of said first surface, and when said second surface is in said position the plane of said first and second surfaces defining a space therebetween, approximating the diameter of a ski pole to be held by said ski pole holder and the distance between the extremities of said first and second surfaces not exceeding the length of a ski pole to be held by said ski pole holder, whereby before said second surface is moved into said position a ski pole may be placed transversely across said first surface and when said second surface is moved into said position said first and second surfaces abut said ski pole and said ski pole is thereby held 'by said ski pole holder.

20. A case for carrying boots, said case comprising a hollow body having an open side, a cover mounted on said open side to close the same, said cover being mounted to be removable from said open side to permit access to the interior of said hollow body, and mounting means inside said case for removably mounting a boot holder, said mounting means including a pair of opposed bracket members mounted on a first interior wall of said hollow body, said hollow body further defining a second and a third interior wall, said second interior wall being contiguous with and transverse to said first interior wall and said third interior wall being contiguous with and transverse to said second interior wall and opposed to said first interior wall, and said mounting means further includes a pin mounted on said second interior wall at a point adjacent said third interior wall and opposed to said bracket members.

21. A case according to claim 20, wherein said mounting means further includes tracks mounted on said third interior wall, said tracks being positioned to guide the boot holder so that a hole provided in the boot holder is guided onto said pin as said boot holder is mounted in the case.

22. A carrying container and a holder means for transporting ski boots comprising:

a casing means including a body portion and a cover portion;

said body portion including a main wall portion and edge wall portions disposed substantially perpendicularly to said main wall portion to form a chamber means;

means connecting said cover portion with at least one of said edge wall portions to permit said cover portion to be moved relatively to said main wall portion to open and close said chamber means;

boot holder means including a boot support member having opposed sides against which the bottoms of said ski boots abut;

mounting means in said body portion to removably mount said boot support member in an upright position within said chamber means with said opposed sides being substantially perpendicular to said main wall portion so that a pair of ski boots can be placed in said chamber means with one disposed on each side of said boot support member;

clamping means coupled with said boot support member, said clamping means including a boot engaging means movable toward and away from the sides of said boot support member for effecting clamping of ski boots thereagainst and further including operating lever means for moving said boot engaging means;

said clamping means further including operating mechanism reacting between said operating lever means and said boot engaging means so that movement of said operating lever means toward and away from said main wall portion effects a corresponding responsive movement of said boot engaging means toward and away from said sides of said boot support member;

said operating lever means being digitally movable to a first position substantially within said chamber means so that said cover portion can be moved to a position which closes said chamber means;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said first position, reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means toward the sides of said boot support member to effect clamping of ski boots thereagainst;

said operating lever means also being digitally movable to a second position outwardly from said main wall portion after said cover portion has been swung to an open position;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said second position reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means away from the sides of said boot support member to effect unclampiug of said ski boots so that such ski boots can be readily removed from said chamber means without the need for removing said boot support member from said mounting means;

said cover portion is a hinge means including a hinge axis and wherein said operating mechanism includes pivotal mounting means connecting said operating lever means to said boot support member, said pivotal mounting means including a pivot axis;

said hinge axis and said pivot axis are substantially parallel with each other.

23. A carrying container and a holder means for transporting ski boots comprising:

a casing means including a body portion and a cover portion;

said body portion including a main wall portion and edge wall portions disposed substantially perpendicularly to said main wall portion to form a chamber means;

means connecting said cover portion with at least one of said edge wall portions to permit said cover portion to be moved relatively to said main wall portion to open and close said chamber means;

boot holder means including a boot support member having opposed sides against which the bottoms of said ski boots abut;

mounting means in said body portion to removably mount said boot support member in an upright position within said chamber means with said opposed sides being substantially perpendicular to said main wall portion so that a pair of ski boots can be placed in said chamber means with one disposed on each side of said boot support member;

clamping means coupled with said boot support member, said clamping means including a boot engaging means movable toward and away from the sides of said boot support member for effecting clamping of ski boots thereagainst and further including operating lever means for moving said boot engaging means;

said clamping means further including operating mechanism reacting between said operating lever means and said boot engaging means so that movement of said operating lever means toward and away from said main wall portion effects a corresponding responsive movement of said boot engaging means toward and away from said sides of said boot support member;

said operating lever means being digitally movable to a first position substantially within said chamber means so that said cover portion can be moved to a position which closes said chamber means;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said first position, reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means toward the sides of said boot support member to effect clamping of ski boots thereagainst;

said operating lever means also being digitally movable to a second position outwardly from said main wall portion after said cover portion has been swung to an open position;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said second position reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means away from the sides of said boot support member to etfect unclamping of said ski boots so that such ski boots can be readily removed from said chamber means without the need for removing said boot support member from said mounting means;

said operating lever means includes an operating lever member disposed on each side of said boot support member and wherein said boot engaging means includes a clamp member disposed on each side of said boot support means and wherein said operating mechanism includes a pivotal mounting means for each of said lever members and a pivotal mounting means for each of said clamp members;

said lever member pivotal mounting means forms a common pivot axis for each of said lever members with said common pivot axis being substantially perpendicular to the sides of said boot support member;

the pivotal mounting means for each clamp member is juxtaposed to a side of said boot support member in substantially parallel relation thereto.

24. A carrying container and a holder means for transporting ski boots comprising:

a casing means including a body portion and a cover portion;

said body portion including a main wall portion and edge wall portions disposed substantially perpendicularly to said main wall portion to form a chamber means;

means connecting said cover portion with at least one of said edge wall portions to permit said cover portion to be moved relatively to said main wall portion to open and close said chamber means;

boot holder means including a boot support member having opposed sides against which the bottoms of said ski boots abut;

mounting means in said body portion to removably mount said boot support member in an upright position within said chamber means with said opposed sides being substantially perpendicular to said main wall portion so that a pair of ski boots can be placed in said chamber means with one disposed on each side of said boot support member; clamping means coupled with said boot support member, said clamping means including a boot engaging means movable toward and away from the sides of said boot support member for effecting clamping of ski boots thereagainst and further including operating lever means for moving said boot engaging means; said clamping means further including operating mechanism reacting between said operating lever means and said boot engaging means so that movement of said operating lever means toward and away from said main wall portion effects a corresponding responsive movement of said boot engaging means toward and away from said sides of said boot support member; said operating lever means being digitally movable to a first position substantially within said chamber means so that said cover portion can be moved to a position which closes said chamber means;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said first position, reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means toward the sides of said boot support member to effect clamping of ski boots thereagainst;

said operating lever means also being digitally movable to a second position outwardly from said main wall portion after said cover portion has been swung to an open position;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said second position reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means away from the sides of said boot support member to effect unclamping of said ski boots so that such ski boots can be readily removed from said chamber means without the need for removing said boot support member from said mounting means;

said mounting means includes a bracket means disposed adjacent said edge wall portions to form a channel into which at least a portion of said boot support member fits, said channel serving to maintain said boot support member in its upright position.

25. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 24 further including an abutment means carried by said cover portion and positioned in substantial alignment with said bracket means to contact said boot support member when said cover means is closed.

26. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 25 wherein said mounting means further includes a pin means projecting from said main wall portion into said channel and wherein said boot support member includes a bore means therein into which said pin means fits.

27. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 26 wherein said abutment means includes a further pin means which also fits into said bore means.

28. A carrying container and a holder means for transporting ski boots comprising:

a casing means including a body portion and a cover portion;

said body portion including a main wall portion and edge wall portions disposed substantially perpendicularly to said main wall portion to form a chamber means;

means connecting said cover portion with at least one of said edge wall portions to permit said cover portion to be moved relatively to said main wall portion to open and close said chamber means;

boot holder means including a boot support member having opposed sides against which the bottoms of said ski boots abut;

mounting means in said body portion to removably mount said boot support member in an upright position within said chamber means with said opposed sides being substantially perpendicular to said main wall portion so that a pair of ski boots can be placed in said chamber means with one disposed" on each side of said boot support member;

clamping means coupled with said boot support mem ber, said clamping means including a boot engaging means movable toward and away from the sides of said boot support member for effecting clamping of ski boots thereagainst and further including operaating lever means for moving said boot engaging means;

said clamping means further including operating mechanism reacting between said operating lever means and said boot engaging means so that movement of said operating lever means toward and away from said main wall portion effects a corresponding responsive movement of said boot engaging means toward and away from said sides of said boot support member;

said operating lever means being digitally movable to a first position substantially within said chamber means so that said cover portion can be moved to a position which closes said chamber means;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said first position, reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means toward the sides of said boot support member to effect clamping of ski boots thereagainst;

said operating lever means also being digitally movable to a second position outwardly from said main Wall portion after said cover portion has been swung to an open position;

said operating lever means, when moved toward said second position reacting through said operating mechanism to responsively move said boot engaging means away from the sides of said boot support member to effect unclamping of said ski boots so that such ski boots can be readily removed from said chamber means without the need for removing said boot support member from said mounting means;

said main wall portion and said cover portion, when closed, form opposed side walls for said casing means and wherein one of said side Walls releasably supports a ski pole holding means mounted exteriorly of said casing means.

29. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 28 wherein 'said ski pole holding means includes a brace means against which ski poles can abut and a rotatable locking member movable relatively to said brace means to selectively permit said ski poles to be clamped against said brace means or released therefrom.

30. A carrying container and holding means as defined in claim 29 further including releasable mounting means connecting said brace means and said locking member with said one of said side walls.

References Cited ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner. F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

